British nurse given life sentence for murdering 7 babies

British nurse Lucy Letby has been sentenced to life imprisonment, with no prospect of release, for murdering seven babies in a span of one year.

The 33-year-old was convicted by a jury of murdering five baby boys and two baby girls, and attempting to kill six more while working at the neonatal unit of the hospital in northwest England between June 2015 and June 2016.

She was arrested for the first time in July 2018. On her third arrest in November 2020, Letby was formally charged and placed in custody. 

Letby, according to the prosecution, deliberately injected babies with air, force fed others milk and poisoned two of the infants with insulin.

Justice Goss, at Manchester Crown Court, handed down the whole-life sentence on Monday, saying there was “premeditation, calculation and cunning in your actions.”

Letby refused to appear in the dock for her sentencing hearing.

Addressing Letby in her absence, the judge said, “You acted in a way that was completely contrary to the normal human instincts of nurturing and caring for babies.”

"The order of the court therefore is a whole life order on each and every offence and you will spend the rest of your life in prison."

Judge Goss said, "Because the seriousness of your offences are exceptionally high, I direct that the early release provisions do not apply."

Whole-life terms are the harshest punishment available in the United Kingdom. Letby became only the fourth woman in the UK history to receive such a sentence.

MG